Tortuous logic

There is an inescapable irony in the controversy that has arisen over how the United States is treating its Al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners at Camp X-ray in Cuba. "Torture" screamed one London tabloid headline over a picture of the camp released by the U.S. Defense Department. Meanwhile the International Red Cross, which monitors compliance with the Geneva Convention, had its own objections. It said the photos violate a Geneva Convention protecting prisoners of war from "public curiosity." "Such pictures should not be disseminated. They could have a strong impact on the family and the Muslim community worldwide," a spokesman in Geneva said. A month ago, these prisoners recognized no rights for any human beings other than males who worshipped the same God in the same way as they. It strikes us as a trifle fuzzy-headed to be concerned about their privacy rights. Almost as fuzzy-headed as an editor who looks at a picture and starts accusing those who took and released the photo of torturing people.